Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rally pointers fun.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Once again, folks, is that time? Are you ready for
the weekend? It's your host, Hey the sorrge Hemingway with
his co host Amana Micano and the Man of Mix.
It also soun'dm good saying the brain. How are we
doing today, folks?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Doing our wonderful now.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We got an awesome show for you. Guys.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Well, we're just gonna jump right in and with us
today we have on the show a dear friend of mine.
He is a retired Air Force Senior Master's Sergeant First
Sergeant Michi Jeffries. Welcome to the show. Thanks for being
with us.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor.
Thank you absolutely.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
So.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I know we're going to talk about a lot of
things today. So basically obviously being retired Air Force, we
want to say thank you for your service, thanks for
your sacrifice. Yes, and Michie's actually a dual mill so
her and her husband are retired Air Force and so
it's a pretty cool thing.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So congratulations to you both.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Thank So let's talk about your military career with the
Air Force. Follows your story.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
So first and foremost, Amanda, I think one of the
greatest gifts is having met you along the course of
my journeys and in touch with you all of these years.
So thank you for the service that you provided to
me and my family and to my development and to
me being here right now. So as a matter of fact,
(01:31):
as we talk about that, my journey started when I
was eighteen. I am originally from Chicago, Illinois, and I
knew that my life was not going to amount too
much of anything if I said in the city. So
I decided because my father did not have money and
could not send me to college. I really did not
(01:53):
want to go to college. Didn't I want to have
to think about the struggles and the fears of trying
to work my way through college. To Maclee new Hey,
I should just go into the airport. Maybe I should
just go into the military. And so I was able
to finally go into the Air Force at the age
of eighteen. Came in July, was July twenty fifth, nineteen
(02:13):
eighty nine. I remember the bus ride very well to
Samanda from the airport in San Antonio.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Right, I think they get on everybody's brain.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Oh my goodness, it was so quiet on that bus.
Of course, it was like one thirty in the morning
you could hear a pin drop because everybody was thinking
what is going to happen now? So that was July
nineteen eighty nine, and I was actually able to retire
August first, twenty fifteen. So after past six years and
(02:45):
six eight of creditable faithful. Wow, that chapter close and
a brand new one. Yeah. So on my way along
the journey in the Air Force, I was I founded
off as security police. You may remember it at him SPT.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's near and dear to Jay's heart because he was
an MP in the army.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Oh you know, that's how I met my husband. We
met at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He was l e yes back when they were all
separated out because nowadays it's all pushed together. It's all
security forces. But there was a time where like law
enforcement was different than security police, was different than the
catam folks at the fire range, combat arms was different
than K nine handlers. Am I correct in that they
were all different?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You're very correct, absolutely correct, and we all fell under
the security police quatcher as it was called. When I
came in and I started off as a security police,
knew that there was no way I could make the
Air Force a career if I continued on this halt.
So as I was very aggressive with retraining, and after
(03:55):
about three years of being in the security police career field,
which you know, I don't the experience understand, it helped
me to grow and it helped me to evolve and
to build a certain level of discipline. Obviously, yes it did, Yes,
it did. So I remember that it just was not
the career plan for me, and I went into personnel
(04:18):
where I became what was it a three F three
FO and I started my career as a personnel specialist.
As I grew into that particular career field, I became
a senior and I commissioned officer. It just so happens
that after I think it was about maybe fifteen years,
I decided, you know, I see the changes that's happening
within a personnel community. I think my time here in
(04:42):
this particular sector is done. I think I want to
become a first sergeist. And so that journey began and
I was a first sergeant for four years and when
they took the diamond from me, I became a personal superintendent.
At this time I was seeing a massive sergeant that
I still had additional duties as a first sergeant. And
(05:03):
guess what, Amanda, I was able to retire with my diamet.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
That is a beautiful, wonderful thing. That's such a gill.
So for those of you listening that maybe don't know
when a first sergeant retires from the Air Force, because
I know they are first sergeant in the Armies and
their roles are a little bit different. But in the
Air Force, when a first sergeant retires, they do something
called a dime out there retirement, just where fellow diamond
wearing first sergeants do a formation shape dime and they
(05:28):
go through help me out hear Michi, they go through
like their creed. There's a chance they do. It's a
very impactful moving thing and it is a very big
deal to a first sergeant if at all possible that
they can retire with their diamond.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Yeah, yeah, you know. And at that time when I retired,
since I was almost ten years ago, I had to
request that there wants to be guaranteed that they would
allow me to do it, but they did. So, you know,
whenever I wear my uniform, if I go to an
Air Force hall, which I haven't been to in many years.
But the last time I went, I was tired and
I did wear my men's dress and it did have
(06:02):
a diamond insignia on it.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Nice. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Well, first of all, let me say thank you for
starting me being a little menial NCO and Army. I
respect the security ops as well because in the Army
we have the five functions of MPN and I think
that's a carry outs the Air Force for a month,
the different functions that we have. But aside from that,
I want to say thank you for your service and sacrifice,
(06:28):
especially how you kind of led the way for women
in the military. And that's one of the few one
of the functions of our shows to give kudos to
women in the military because we need to let other
current serving members that you guys exist, you carry rank,
and you have a voice as well and story to tell.
Say thank you very much for being on our show.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Well, I appreciate you very much and thank you, thanks
very much, thank you.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah. Absolutely. Michi was a very profound mentor at a
really kind of pivotal time in my career because I
met her when I was still ex urgent and so
I made mass Sergeant Evan while I was working at
airman and readiness. And that's where I really got to
know her because work closely with the first sergeant I'll
pay her and so it was kind of cool. I
(07:14):
used to job that I actually had the best job
in the Air Force as an airman and family readiness, incio,
because first sergeants were a close second, only because I
didn't have to deal with punishment they sometimes. But we
had a great relationship with the first sergeants and me.
She especially was wonderful because, as you know, as a
fellow woman serving in the military who had kind of
(07:36):
paved that way for me, it was always so refreshing
at her perspective, and you know, just every time we talked,
it was a meaning conversation, even if it was short,
whether the nor you know, the verbals, the non verb
like everything just kind of Michi always communicated deliberately, I'll
put it that way. So and it was just a
(07:57):
wonderful thing. And especially to be mentored in that way,
that was huge because it helped me be a better
mentor for othereopole seeing how Michi interact and how much
you know, care, inspect and you know, details, So that
helped me a lot. Whether you knew that or not.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Now, I did not know that a man that thanking
and you were talking what I don't. I don't think
that Maybe this communicated uh with first sergeants. But the
one thing that I will tell people is that I
love being a first sergeant because number one, it allowed
me to uh. It showed my strength, but it also
(08:36):
showed me where I was weak. And most importantly, I
allowed my hear me to teach me. I knew that.
You know, you don't just become a leader. Somebody's got
to teach you, and you have to be willing to
be a student. So even as a first sergeant, I
was willing to be a student and allow my people
to teach me how to lead, how to care, what
(08:59):
to say, what not to say. Maybe I don't say
anything at all, Maybe I just give them the shoulder
to cry on. So my people actually taught me how
to be a first sergeant.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Awesome are there? Do you have any like particular memories
stand out to you as like meer special from when
you were in the Air Force?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Oh my goodness, I have so many. Let's see fisically
talking about the first sergeant thing. Let let me let
me take me back on a memory that stands on
this one that's really coming to the focus right now.
There is a gentleman who was in the medical quadront
that Andrews joined Andrews. He was in the what is
(09:43):
the department, It's the occupational physical therapy department. And I
remember that. I remember when his son was first born,
so I got to think about babies, okay, just to
let you know, I'm especially when they sat into super
Oh yes, babies. There's nothing like like it. But I
remember this because I remember when his son was first born,
(10:06):
and of course I always reached out on behalf of
our commander. He congratulations, when you're a new bundle of joy.
How's the baby doing, how's mom? And they would invite me.
He invited me specifically to his home, and he even
took pictures of me holding his newborn son. And he
even has a letter. There was like a letter I
(10:26):
think I typed up and I figned it or the
commander signed it, and I would take it to home
and deliver it to the family. So one of the
things that memory right there triggers the very fact that
people allowed me into a very private face, allowed me
into their families. They allowed me to break bread and
to rejoice with them when a baby was born. So
(10:48):
that memory is what stands out me actually holding a
newborn child of one of my night heirmns.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
And it was all.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yes. Now, I will tell you something on the suda side,
like on the not so pretty side, a young lady
sadly she had a I noticed you're familiar with the
term golden flows. Yes, okay, she she popped dirty. Yeah,
all right. I believe they found traces of marijuana in
(11:19):
her system, and so obviously we had to go through
the procedures. They kicked her out. She had a demotion
and she got kicked out. So I remember this young lady.
She came to my office as she was going through
the our process and procedures, and she said, for a sergeant,
I just want to say thank you, thank you for
what said. Thank you so much for guiding me through
(11:41):
this process and being there and helping me along the way. Problem,
no problem. So you know with the first sergeant what
I again, my peatry. So one of the things that
I've learned is it doesn't matter what the person did.
And sometimes that was hard. Sometimes they so.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Wal so bad.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
It was my job still treat them like a human being, correct,
and it was my job He'll be straightforward with them.
But they knew that I was going to respect them,
and they knew that I was still going to take
care of them.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, that is definitely that's a hard zumple. But that
is one thing that like they always talked about with
first surgeon because I went to a few first Surgeent symposiums.
You know, the training to be you know, an undershirt
is what called it. But but yeah, that was a
big thing they always talked about. No, no matter what
situation is about, you have to kind of divorce yourself
(12:35):
from the details and remember that that person is still
a person. You have to you know, the dignity and
the respect is the biggest thing that you can offer
them as they go through whatever their process is going.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Be mean, she had a question for you, and it's
kind of for our listeners that we have here listen
for those who are currently serving in or in any
type of theater at the moment, and who are women
who are serving our country. What do you think are
some major points for you to convey to them and
light their careers and their aspirations in the military.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Oh my goodness. So great question, very deep question. And
as you were asking that question, it made me think
about my time in the war. I did her time
in Iraqi War in two thousands. I deployed New Year's Day,
can you believe it? Year's Day, two thousand and eight,
(13:30):
and I was there for four months. I was at
Ali Air Base, Ali Athline, that's in Kuwait. I was
an Ali Air base in Iraq. It was formerly known
as Salio and that base was actually a smaller entity
on a larger army installation called Cobb Adder ADDR. And
(13:51):
one of the things that I remember, and this is
what I will say, it's good and it is highly
recommended for women to find that wrong and of leadership
to link to number one and number two to find
a circle of positive women that are faith based. Those
(14:11):
two things were very critical to me, very critical to me.
And one of the ladies who was the first sergeant
of another she was the first sergeant of a civil
Engineer squadron while we were both in Iraq. And to
this day, Amanda, we are friends, we still communicate, we
keep in touch with each other. We're both since retired.
(14:32):
But I remember wherever you saw her, you saw me Yeah.
And we were always together. We fellowship together, you know,
our women's Bible study. We were always there together. So
why was that important to me?
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Brother?
Speaker 3 (14:48):
I'm going to tell you why, because not only was
I deployed, but mister Jefferies was also deployed. Mister Jefferies
deployed to Iraq November like two days before our fourteenth
wedding anniversary.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Yes, he deployed to Iraq November two thousand and seven.
And he was in more than Iraq. I was in
southern Iraq. And because of the virtue of his job,
my husband did OSI for his last ten years of
active duty. So if you know anything about OSI, you
know their job is not in the base, within the
base parameter. It's outside of the base perimeter.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
So for folks listening on OSI for US as an
Office of Special Investigation, which is kind of like the
FBI of the Air Force, if you will. So so, yeah,
and they do a lot of OTW or outside the
wire missions when they're doing Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
And there are many times that my husband would say,
you know, because we talked as much as we could,
and there were times that he would say to me,
I'm going to be gone for a little while. I'll
call you when I get back. Well, I don't exactly
know what that means right how many days it's going
to be. So it was very important for me that
once he gave me this particular message, I would go
(16:02):
back to my community, my faith based community, the women
in that community, even my chaplain who's very much a
part of my life to this day, and I would
pray and fast and they would pray with me. It's
very important for me to have that connection with those
women who are also mothers, who also wives. Maybe they
(16:24):
left their husbands behind and maybe some of them probably
had used as well. So hopefully I answered that question.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Oh completely, absolutely So, how did your military career then
kind of prepare you for your current role in what
you're doing today? And more importantly, what is the role
that you're fulfilling today?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Absolutely thanks for those questions. I will tell you that
the military. So you know, sometimes people say that they
missed the military. I don't what I am. I don't
think there's anything I miss about it. But what I
will say is there are so many things that gave
(17:07):
me that I refect and I'm glad for it, and
I am thankful for, of course number one of the discipline.
I am thankful for the camaraderie. I'm thankful for the
team work. I'm thankful for the integrity courage. I'm thankful
for the leadership and the training. I'm thankful for all
(17:27):
of these things because I still embody that deep inside
of me, and I do realize that now me on
this side of the Air Force, you know, this side
and lovely retirement, Bill, I am now a financial literacy
educator and a license financial services professional. Now, I would
tell you that I never saw this coming, Amanda. I
(17:48):
never saw myself doing anything actually priming. I told my husband,
I said, I'm never going back to work. I mean it,
I'm not did not.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Believe famous last words, right?
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Yeah? He did not see each for three years after
I officially retired. For three years I rested. And I
think that's something that a lot of military people need
to understand. When you retire, you have to rept you
have to rep unwined down, low party travel leep in
(18:20):
ty three that day.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
You know what I'm saying, Just sound trance, absolutely tell
somebody no. Yes. The no muscle is a wonderful thing.
I have really learned how to flex that a lot
more in the last four years.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Yeah. Yeah, and do something, do something different that you
never was able to do in the military. Do something
that maybe you've always wanted to do, and now you
have the time to do it. You have the time
in the space to do it. Or look at something
different and say, you know what, I think I want
to try that. What did I do, Amanda? I trained
(18:56):
for bodybuilding competition?
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Yes, you did what.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I brained for two body building competitions, natural, Okay, I
don't believe in putting any funny stuff in my body.
And then I did too passant competition.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
And after that I wrote a book about my journey
and why those things, oh Jay, other than why I
did those things, because what I didn't tell you is
that between January thirties, twenty fourteen and February ninth, twenty fifteen,
I battled breast cancer. I had surgeries after surgery after surgery.
(19:37):
I had had four surgeries in a fourteen month period,
and of course I had to recuperate and build up
my body strength, built up my upper body stremp. All
of these different things happened within that time frame. So
it was very important for me, brother Jay, to do
something to show people that cancer did not end my life.
It did not stop me from moving forward. That was
(19:59):
just that's the chapter. And now that that chapter is closed,
I'm able to do better and bigger things. But as
a result of that, I did do the body building competitions,
I did do the packing competitions, and I wrote a
book because I wanted to show people that, Hey, cancel
was just another challenge in the road of thing called light,
but it took me to a higher level. Oh yeah, yeah,
(20:22):
so the military career. Surely you know everything that I
learned along the way, you know, And I think what
really resonates with me is the leadership. And even Amanda
hit on it how I was able to have the communication,
deliberate communication with I still do that. I love having
conversation with people, and I love talking to people, being
honest with them about different things. So all of those
(20:43):
things have helped me to grow and to build and
to be able to educate other people who are looking
for exactly what.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
It is that I offer.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Wow, that's a definition of a mentor I've ever heard of.
Your journey has been nothing but spectacular, and again, thank
you for beating that nasty scene word answer, and I'm
I'm almost positive that your your roadmap to your life
is the inspiration of many who are listening to our
show right now. And I say again to thank you
(21:11):
on our show and sharing that with us.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Absolutely. Yeah, we went through like some of that, Like
I was able to talk to you in the beginning
of your cancer journey when you were if I'm not mistaken,
when you were kind of having surgery, and then you
began transitioning to retire because she had to come to
my office for FRANSI program, so we had many a
chat during break during one about that and then getting
(21:36):
to follow your journey with your competition or pageants via
social media because by that point I had already left.
My name was just It really was a beautiful, wonderfuing
and we are so thankful that you came on the
show today tell your story. Is there a way if
people are interested in following your journey that they can
do that. Is there a way that they can follow
(21:58):
you via social media or if they have questions for
you about financial literacy that they can reach out to you.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Absolutely so I'm one of those people. Of course, I'm
very up and open, and I don't mind people calling me.
I really really don't. So my number, which is part
of the best way to reach me is two for
zero to one zero four four eight nine. I can
also be reached to my Facebook handle meet g Jeffries,
(22:29):
m E E d h I E j E f
s N Frank FSN frank E r I f asn't
sand outstanding.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
And I had a question to ask you. Would you
be willing to do like a newsletter or insight for
our upcoming newsletters so that we could share some of
your euphorisms and your experiences with our general public and
offer you an opportunity to have you meet America and
America read you.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Oh yeah, that's thank you.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Oh, thank you very much. We'll make that happen down
the road.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Definitely, absolutely too easy. We already keep in touch, so
that's a piece one of the puzzle, all right, correct, Well,
thank you again for being on the show, me Chi's
We truly appreciate you. Ladies and gentlemen. We want to
thank Michi Jeffries for being on the show today and
sharing her story of her Air Force career, her triumph
(23:24):
over cancer, and her current role as a financial literacy expert.
Thanks again, Mi Chi.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
To you both.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Thank you, thank you, Michi yah bless you your family
and your future prospects of for this year like.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Why thank you, thank you Amanda.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
On our next segment we have with us today, Amanda
south Sado. She is founder of Woman Veteran Calendar. Thank
you for being on the show again, Amanda. We've had
you on before, but it's always a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Yay.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Hi absolutely so briefly again, tell us about your military service.
Obviously we've had you on the show board and shared
your military service with us, but for those listening who
maybe didn't catch that episode, give us a brief overview
of your military time.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Yes, ma'am, thank you. I was in the Air Force
for twenty years, so I bounced around a lot. I
had a lot of great assignments. I was overseas in
Germany and Korea, and I deployed twice to Camp Andy
and Iraq, and I worked mostly in medical, but I
stepped out of that a couple times for honor guard
(24:33):
and protocol. So I have a like they say on
the Liam Neeson movie, I have a unique set of skills.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Nice none of.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Them deadly, but absolutely, And so I kind of think
I have an idea too. But all our listeners about
how your experience in the military helped you do found
woman bettering.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
So it's interesting because when you're in the military, well
I can speak for myself. I guess when I was
in the military, I didn't really appreciate you know how
a lot of times when you're in they say this
is your family, and you're like, I don't like my
own family. I don't like these people. Forget that. But
it really is that's your community, like it or not.
(25:16):
Those people are going to support you. They're going to
be there for you, they're going to make sure you
don't fail. And you know, as enlisted person and as
a flight chief, I took pride in taking care of
my people. And of course, additionally, when you're in the military,
you're part of something bigger than yourself. So when I
got out of the military, when I retired, I had
(25:38):
no intention of still working in the medical field. I
knew I wanted to go back to school. But what
really surprised me is how difficult that transition was. And
I think that that is an often neglected subject that
we don't prepare our active duty and our military folks
for is once you separate, it's like this, it's like
(26:00):
this total cutoff from the military world and from the
way of life that you've known for so many years.
So I was looking for a community of women veterans
and I found them online. And online is nice, you know,
but it's also nice to get together with familiar faces
and people who've had shared life experiences and you know,
(26:23):
share war stories and bond and stuff. And a lot
of veterans have those opportunities with their local VFW and
American Legion and other great veteran organizations that are out there,
But for women veterans, it's a little more difficult for
us because we are such a small demographic in the
large number of veterans. So, like I said, I found
(26:46):
this community online and that was filling the hole for
me a little bit. And one girl one day said, gosh,
I really want to do a photo shoot. I wish
I could do it with my veterans sisters. And I said,
oh my god, gosh, what if we did a woman
veteran calendar? And it just kind of blew up from there,
and I created the group and the website and I
(27:08):
put all my own savings into, you know, building this
brand and getting all the trademark rights and the right
to use the word veteran. Like, there's a lot behind
the scenes, and I don't have a business degree, so
I'm learning.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
As all skill set pulled you through.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
I agree, I think that definitely helped, yes, but it
has grown into this purpose bigger than myself, and it's
so exciting for me to even just be a part
of it and just what we're doing for women veterans,
and you know, empowering women veterans by raising awareness and
(27:47):
increasing their visibility and like you said, sharing their stories
in our calendar. It's just it's so humbling for me
to be a part of that and to continue to
do it.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
I was going to say, I've remembered because I'm a
part of that same woman Veterans group online, and I
remember seeing your post not knowing who you were at all,
which is so interestingly beautiful about how that kind of worked.
But I remember seeing your posts proposing what if we
did a woman veteran calendar and just seeing the explosive
spons from that in the best possible way, a lot
(28:20):
of excitement, ideas and enthusiasm from these women veterans. It
was just such a cool thing to see that come together,
and I didn't really realize that that was the infancy
of like what we're talking about today. So it's kind
of a full circle kind of thing there as far
as that goes. And we're just we're so grateful to
(28:41):
have you on the show, to be able to give
visibility to your service and also to give visibility to
woman veteran calendar. A big part of our mission here
at the Rally Point Show is to place emphasis on
women veterans because, like you so eloquently said, you know,
we are such a small of the larger veteran demograph,
(29:02):
which we didn't really realize because I guess we kind
of just seem to in some cases, we kind of
find each other, We flock to each other, however you
want to say it. When we look around, we don't
immediately think, oh gosh, we're out numbered, like you know,
Rida one whatever. You know, we don't think about that
in the immediate but then when you step back and
you take a look at the bigger picture that that
(29:24):
kind of is what the statistic says. Though it's just
so neat that that all got started from that Woman
Veterans Forum online that we both belong to, and now
here we are on the radio talk.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Exactly, and not to overstate the importance of it. If
your demographic is a small percentage of the grander hole,
what you've done is makes it more important for it
to get out and for other veterans to acknowledge, and
for those who are still in service to become a
part of because when you depart from service, those connecttions
(30:00):
that you once had are as common or as available,
and if you were to provide the opportunity to have
those connections pre made before you leave, it makes that
transition a little bit more easier. What do you think
about that?
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yes, I agree with that, and I'm so glad you
mentioned it because we are trying to address that through
our mentorship program. So on our website we have a
page that says adopt a sister, and you can fill
out the form whether you want to be a mentor
or whether you're in the service and you're looking for
(30:35):
someone to mentor you. And the idea is you get
paired with a fellow woman veteran and in the service,
you know you're given mentors your leadership tells you like, oh,
you should find somebody with you know, a career you
can look up to and go to them for mentorship.
But you know, like it or not, that person is
(30:55):
going to give you the military advice. And sometimes they
can and even speak freely and candidly about what their
advice would be for you. But we don't. We don't
suffer from those same constraints as veterans. We speets back. Yes, yes,
(31:17):
so I as a mentor veteran, I'm going to tell you, you know,
candidly about my experience as it relates to yours, and
I'm going to give you unbiased, unfiltered advice based on
what you tell me your goals are. And then when
you're getting ready to separate, whether it's after one enlistment
(31:39):
or twenty years, I'm going to talk to you and
sit down with you and say, okay, no kidding, what's
your plan for when you get out? You know, do
you have a community that you can lean on? How
can I support you? Are you going to move after
you get out? You know, all these typical questions that
they ask you and tap, but they don't follow through.
(32:01):
Your woman veteran mentor is never going to drop the
ball and say Okay, our time is up. Like you
can have a mentor through our program for as long
as you want, and you can be a mentor for
as long as you want. And we're really excited about
that program because we're hoping to bridge that gap and
help people with that transition.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Well, man, I hope there's anything that we can do
here from the Valid Point network to help you grow
and to make those connections. Please feel free to use
us because that's why I'm thankful to have you back
on our show today, because I feel that other women
in vetters where a women need to hear you and
say that. Oh by the way, if you have any questions,
(32:40):
come find us and we can have a conversation about
it offline. Again, your work is invaluable.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
Thank you, absolutely, thank you, And like I said, we're
proud to do it. I'm so proud of our community.
We have about two four hundred ish women in our
group on Facebook, and I know not everybody's on Facebook,
so they can also just the email woman with an
a veteran calendar at Gmail to get involved and if
(33:06):
they're interested in being a modeler or getting involved in
any other way.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
Absolutely, I think the mentorship program that you talked about
is going to help give a lot of purpose to
those of US woman veterans that once we transition. I mean,
I think a lot of veterans would agree. In general,
you initially, especially if you're retired or just transitioned, in general,
you go going a million miles a minute down to
almost nothing compared to what the military had us going through,
(33:32):
and so that day in day out, that structure kind
of fades away, and then it it causes you to
kind of maybe be missing a purpose in a way
or feeling like don't have purpose that you had or
the uniform. And I think that your mentoring program is
going to be a wonderful way for women veterans to
continue to have a purpose and to continue making a
(33:52):
difference in the life of someone who is actly serving.
Though I'm actually I made a note to myself go
look at that for sure, because I I still in
touch with many people I mentor as well as people
who mentored me, and I know the value of that
being on both sides of that relationship. So absolutely, Now
back to the calendar. Tell us about the selection process
(34:14):
for who is featured in the woman betteran calendar, because
you did discuss like people sending you emails if they
want to featured, but what all does that entail?
Speaker 4 (34:23):
So the selection process is very, very open, and we
do our best to ensure that everyone who wants to
be in the calendar has an opportunity. We need to
make sure that we check a few boxes just to
protect ourselves from getting food. So the big thing is
(34:44):
we have a release form that we ask models to sign,
and that is just saying that the pictures you send
in and submit for the calendar were allowed. We are
allowed to print them and distribute them, and your photographer
or whoever you know, did those pictures, gave you the right,
So that's a big thing. Other than that, they just
(35:05):
have to be good print quality and we're happy to
share your story and feature you in the calendar. We
haven't run into an issue of having like hundreds of
submissions every year yet, so we'll worry about that when
it happens. Usually we get around twelve each year, and
if we have more, we just ask them, hey, can
(35:26):
we put you in for the next year. You get
your choice of the month and you'll be first in line.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
Awesome, and so how did the twenty twenty five calendar
sell go? Because I bought one. I just received it
in the mail last week. And it was funny because
one of the women that was featured in the calendar
was Nicole Jordan, who we just had on our show
talking about women veterans glamping. And so as far as
like how the calendar seal went, are there any calendars left?
(35:53):
If there still want to support and if there are
any calendars left, how can listeners.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Or are we yes? Thank you for asking that is,
you know, so short answer, yes, there are calendars still
available on our website. They are on clearance for fifteen
dollars each and they can just order them on the website.
And we're even throwing in free shipping because it's already
after the first of the year and we just want
(36:20):
to share these calendars and help get the word out,
you know, to the fullest event possible. So when you
go on our website, use code free ship for free
shipping and you'll get everything for just fifteen dollars.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Nice. And so, how did the overall sale go for
the twenty twenty five calendars? How many have you so far?
Speaker 4 (36:38):
So it was surprising to me We had a big
push with our inaugural calendar for twenty twenty four, and
for twenty twenty five it was a little less like
we struggled to meet our goal of still making a
two thousand dollars donation, and I think that that is
(36:58):
part of the growing props as a nonprofit organization, especially,
so we have some ideas for the twenty twenty sixth calendar.
For example, we're going to try to get more model involvement.
We're going to make it a little friendly competition where
the model that gets the most referral, so there will
(37:19):
be an option on our website to say, are you
buying the calendar for a particular model, and if so,
you know which.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
One got it?
Speaker 4 (37:26):
And the model who gets the most points that way
is going to win an Amazon gift card, probably one
hundred dollars gift card.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Very cool, I was going to say, or even just like,
I don't know if it's probably probably more laborious to
do it this way, but you giving each model a
code they can share with their friends and loved one
so that you can track it that way could potentially
be an idea too. But wow, cool. Well, I'm sorry
to hear that it was a little bit of a
struggle this year. I think there were possibly some external
(37:55):
factors that were beyond pe role, maybe two that might
have played a part in that possibly. I mean, it
seems like in some ways things are kind of financially
difficult for a lot of Poule right now for whatever reason.
Though hopefully things will improve in the twenty twenty six
calendar between all the efforts made to increase the publicity
and you know, getting the word out about it, that
(38:17):
will help make the twenty twenty six season even more successful.
But you were able to reach your goal, and that's
the important part the focus on, I think. And so
with meeting your goal, who are the groups that are
going to benefit from the sale of these calendars?
Speaker 4 (38:32):
So the group that we donate our proceeds to every
year are voted on by the Woman's Veteran Calendar community
on Facebook, the one with over two thousand women that's
in counting. And the reason that I want to highlight
that is because this whole project is for women veterans,
by women veterans. So we are not wanting to throw
(38:56):
our hard earned money and proceeds at an organization where
it's just going to be a drop in the bucket
for them. You know, some organizations do not need our
five hundred dollars or thousand dollars contribution. They're getting grants
for millions and millions, and we're happy for them, right
but we we want to make a difference for other
(39:19):
nonprofits that help women veterans in particular, because, as the
sergeant was saying, we're such a small demographic, we need
to raise awareness, you know. So we're trying to raise
awareness of these other nonprofit organizations throughout the country, and
we're also taking the suggestions from our woman veteran calendar
(39:41):
community to ask what is an organization that has you know, legit,
no kidding, helped you and your time of need. You know,
who would you go to bat for? Those are the
ones that we want to vote on and say this
is where I want our proceeds to go. So this
year we put it to a vote and by a landslide,
(40:02):
the two organizations that were chosen were Campshield here in
Texas and Women Veterans Lamping with Nicole Jordan.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Awesome, I have a question from my host, we should
be representing RPM in twenty twenty six in the calendar
as a senior Master Chief sergeant.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
That yes, I'm considering it, and I was gonna actually
kind of lends itself to you something you touched on
a little earlier, Amanda. What are the criteria that those
wishing to be featured as a model need to submit
for the calendar?
Speaker 4 (40:34):
Yeah, So anyone interested in being in the calendar again,
they can just reach out to that email address I
gave earlier, Woman Veteran Calendar at gmail dot com. And
what happens next is myself or one of our board members,
we will send you a list of the frequently asked
questions and that'll answer most of your questions about how
(40:56):
do I get in the calendar? What's the process. But basically,
to give you a brief over, we just need one
picture of you in uniform. Okay. We don't ask for
a DD two fourteen. We're not trying to do a
full background check on you. It's based on you know, integrity,
So just one picture of you that's going to print well.
And if you have grainy old pictures, there are there
(41:20):
are some companies, there's some app there's some you know,
I think even Office Depot can help you sharpen it
and clean it up. We just need a sharp images
in our print. That is the I want to highlight
that because that's the one issue that we've run into
the most often. Aside from that, we have a document
that we ask you to fill out for your bio,
(41:43):
which just includes your social media handles, your hometown because
we like to highlight that our models are from all
over the country. And then your bio of two hundred
and fifty words or less can be about anything you
want to talk about, and additionally, you can add any
other pictures that you want to add. The requirement is
(42:03):
just one in uniform, in any uniform. But you know
we've had as you as you know, Amanda, because you
have a calendar, We've got beauty pageant models. We've got
one woman that did a dedicated photo shoot just for
the calendar where she got wrapped up in a in
a photoshop flag. Okay it's not a real flag.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Yeah, I saw that. That was relaul. My favorite was
the mother daughter duo, Like, I think that's huge because
that is that's generational military service and I thought that
was so cool. So my sister I have three sisters,
but two of them were also in the Air Force,
and I have one of them that's coming see me soon.
(42:44):
And I've actually considered whether or not to try to
do a sister act submission, if you will, because we
were both Air Force. She did four years and got out.
I did twenty hours, tired, whatever. But I think that's
so important because, like you touched on earlier, you know,
the mill terry is a family, even if it's sometimes
a little dysfunctional or whatever. You know, you might kind
(43:05):
of be like, I don't like my own family, you know,
let alone some of these people. But there's a there's
a built in fraternity that comes with being a veteran.
We can kind of almost pick each other out in public,
kind of funny, and then we can, you know, we
start talking to each other and it kind of like
in a lot of ways typically things kind blow, you know,
and so that's that's kind of the beauty of the
(43:28):
fraternity of a veteran. That bond is air, that that
mutual understanding is there. So so I really thought the
Mother Daughter really cool. There's read for a Mother and
a Daughter in the calendar for twenty twenty five, and
they have a really cool story. So if listeners want
to know more, you got to buy a calendar to
find out more about it. But it was very well
(43:48):
put together. Every month was very interesting. I actually sat
on my couch reading every month of the calendar. I
was like, I can't wait to have to flip it
every month. So I read through each and everyone, and
so some ways I got to put a face to
a name because maybe you know, like Nicole Jordan is
a prime example, having her on the show or actually
getting her face you'd be like, oh, that's who that is,
(44:10):
or you know, seeing the faces of people who I
know I have spoken to on other women veteranborums, seeing
them featured calendar, it's it's very empowering. It's definitely an uplifting,
positive thing, which I think absolutely all can agree we
need in this world for sure. So yeah, so that
was that was probably one of my favorite parts of
(44:31):
the calendaresome.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
Well, thank you for that feedback. Yeah, we're happy to
do it. We've got in next year's calendar boiler alert.
We have a model with a service dog. So see
she works with service dogs and she's going to be
sharing her journey and you know that again we're sharing
(44:53):
information too, you know, something that some of our readers
might not have known about, and now they can get
involved and say, I didn't know you could adopt k nines,
you know, and foster them before they go through the
working Dog program, for example. And one thing we touched
on that I'd like to highlight, if it's okay, you
mentioned that that times are tough and sometimes, you know,
(45:18):
a calendar isn't in people's budget, especially when you're just
buying what you need, right, and a wall calendar or
even a planner, sometimes it's just like a frivilty, right,
And I agree. And the goal that I have for
the calendar and that I'm hoping we can't we get
more buy in from is small businesses and people who
(45:40):
aren't veterans. You know, for example, in Military City, USA, right,
the San Antonio brags that were Military City USA. So
I'm I'm sitting here and I'm like, okay, you support veterans,
buy a calendar and put it up in your business
and show your support for not only veterans but veterans.
(46:01):
So you know, our whole thing at the at the
Woman's Veteran Calendar community, we are not trying to take
from our sisters we're trying to empower and uplift our sisters,
and that's why we have the monthly Zoom classes, which
I'm sorry I didn't mention earlier, but we are starting
an education series and our Zoom classes are going to
(46:23):
talk about three benefits and resources that not all of
our sisters might have heard of. So the very first
one we're tackling is VA claims, because overhalf of women
veterans do not have a VA rating. And Jane Babcock
is going to be our guest speaker, and she has
experience not only as a VSO, but as someone who
(46:43):
went through the process and as an Army veteran, and
she this is her hobby is she likes to call
the VA on their blankety blank and or on the radio.
So I don't know from a lot of say yes,
their buffoonery, but she knows all the little tricks and
(47:03):
the little things that they'll do to kick your kick
your package down to the bottom of the pile and
leave it in you know, leave it in purgatory for
months and maybe even years. And she knows the tricks
that you, as a service member can say, okay, well
wait a minute, according to such and such, my file
(47:25):
should be here, and it needs to go here, and
this should be happening right now. So she's going to
help educate us on all those great little nuggets of
wisdom that we can take back and get our disability
ratings to where they need to be and even get
them finalized, you know, for those who have been too
afraid to pull the trigger and get it started, so
to speak.
Speaker 1 (47:44):
That's wonderful. I love that you offer, you know, in
person opportunities in the San Antonio area, but you also
offer a zoom opportunity for those of us who clearly
don't live in world over here in southwest Florida. We
were talking about that the other day. A man to
actually tagged on Facebook She's like, hey, are you anywhere
near Pensacola because she tagged girls. She's like, this girl's
(48:06):
moving out that way, and so i'd write her back, Yeah,
we're really eleven.
Speaker 4 (48:09):
To eight out the opposite.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Yeah, Florida geography took me a long time to get
and there are some days that I'm still kind of
learning it. Like I'm not even gonna lie. It took
me a little while to realize that Miami's actually kind
of like southeast of US, not necessarily like due south.
So yeah, and it's it's a huge state, so I
get it. But yeah, it's funny as far as how
that goes. But it's wonderful that technology can kind of
(48:35):
link us all across the miles. So I think it's
wonderful that you offer zoom classes. That was something I
wasn't fully aware of either, So I'm glad you're that
here for sure. Now, as far as any other support
that our listeners might want to offer for Woman Veteran Calendar,
they can do that by going to Woman Veteran Calendar
(48:55):
dot com Brack.
Speaker 4 (48:56):
Yes, ma'am, and on the tab that says contact. We
have links to all of our social media platform and
we would just love and appreciate it so much if
you and your listeners could just share those social media pages,
because in addition to just trying to get the word
out for women veterans, we're trying to reach as many
(49:18):
women veterans as possible and offer them these opportunities, like
you said, the zoom classes, or the opportunity to be
a model, or even to connect to other veterans, maybe
even in their regional area.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Absolutely, we have a group like that here in our
community of women veterans that try to get together every
now and then maybe have a meal socialized for sure,
because it is important. Like I said, you know, sign
and represent small portion of that larger number of veteranity,
it's even more important, especially to be there for one another,
you know, as women, we kind of have that unique aspect. Unfortunately,
(49:52):
if sometimes being overlooked for our service. Typically most folk
when they think of a veteran, they typically envision a mail.
So you know, putting some recognition emphasis on you know,
women veterans is just that much more important. Make sure
that you know we're giving credit all of the credit
where it's due across the board. And so for our listeners,
(50:13):
you know, if you love thanking veterans for our service,
if you're not, if you're not a veteran yourself, this
calendar is just it's a wonderful, inexpensive and if I'm
not mistaken, Amanda, tax deductible way to prove it is
that correct?
Speaker 4 (50:27):
That's correct.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
We are a nonprofit, fantastic So if you guys want
more information, you can go to women wo m a
n Veteran calendar dot com. You can order your calendar.
If you use the code free ship you will get
free shipping, clearance sale fifteen dollars. It's a great quality calendar.
I have one in my home. I think from you
(50:48):
know experience, I've touched it, I've seen it. It's a
wonderful product. And if you are a woman veteran listening,
please take the steps to inquire about being featured as
a model. And yes, I've already received my March she
orders from the Starge, So I too will be putting
my information out there for consideration for the twenty twenty
six or possibly future calendar, depending on the response and
(51:11):
the feedback. So the more people that put in, let's
get a lot of women veterans to throw in on this.
If you're listening and you know a woman veteran, tell
her about this initiative. Tell her about this organization and
do what you can to encourage participation with you know,
your family or friends. Absolutely, because this is a cause
(51:32):
worth helping. And that's our show for today. We want
to thank you for joining us on the Rally Point
show in the future. If you're at all interested in
being a guest, or if you have any questions about
the show or suggestions for segments you'd like to see.
You could shoot me an email. It's Macyato m A C.
C ai AEO at number one Rallypoint dot oorg. We
(51:55):
are happy take your suggestions as well as find new
guests on our show. Isn't that right?
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Starts that is correct? And if you know anyone who
want to be on the show, please let her know
and we'll get him on there as soon as possible.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
Absolutely, and with that we hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for joining us on the rally Point Show. Rally
Pointers fall Out dismissed
Rally pointers fun.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Once again, folks, is that time? Are you ready for
the weekend? It's your host, Hey the sorrge Hemingway with
his co host Amana Micano and the Man of Mix.
It also soun'dm good saying the brain. How are we
doing today, folks?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Doing our wonderful now.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We got an awesome show for you. Guys.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Well, we're just gonna jump right in and with us
today we have on the show a dear friend of mine.
He is a retired Air Force Senior Master's Sergeant First
Sergeant Michi Jeffries. Welcome to the show. Thanks for being
with us.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor.
Thank you absolutely.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
So.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I know we're going to talk about a lot of
things today. So basically obviously being retired Air Force, we
want to say thank you for your service, thanks for
your sacrifice. Yes, and Michie's actually a dual mill so
her and her husband are retired Air Force and so
it's a pretty cool thing.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So congratulations to you both.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Thank So let's talk about your military career with the
Air Force. Follows your story.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
So first and foremost, Amanda, I think one of the
greatest gifts is having met you along the course of
my journeys and in touch with you all of these years.
So thank you for the service that you provided to
me and my family and to my development and to
me being here right now. So as a matter of fact,
(01:31):
as we talk about that, my journey started when I
was eighteen. I am originally from Chicago, Illinois, and I
knew that my life was not going to amount too
much of anything if I said in the city. So
I decided because my father did not have money and
could not send me to college. I really did not
(01:53):
want to go to college. Didn't I want to have
to think about the struggles and the fears of trying
to work my way through college. To Maclee new Hey,
I should just go into the airport. Maybe I should
just go into the military. And so I was able
to finally go into the Air Force at the age
of eighteen. Came in July, was July twenty fifth, nineteen
(02:13):
eighty nine. I remember the bus ride very well to
Samanda from the airport in San Antonio.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Right, I think they get on everybody's brain.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Oh my goodness, it was so quiet on that bus.
Of course, it was like one thirty in the morning
you could hear a pin drop because everybody was thinking
what is going to happen now? So that was July
nineteen eighty nine, and I was actually able to retire
August first, twenty fifteen. So after past six years and
(02:45):
six eight of creditable faithful. Wow, that chapter close and
a brand new one. Yeah. So on my way along
the journey in the Air Force, I was I founded
off as security police. You may remember it at him SPT.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's near and dear to Jay's heart because he was
an MP in the army.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Oh you know, that's how I met my husband. We
met at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He was l e yes back when they were all
separated out because nowadays it's all pushed together. It's all
security forces. But there was a time where like law
enforcement was different than security police, was different than the
catam folks at the fire range, combat arms was different
than K nine handlers. Am I correct in that they
were all different?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You're very correct, absolutely correct, and we all fell under
the security police quatcher as it was called. When I
came in and I started off as a security police,
knew that there was no way I could make the
Air Force a career if I continued on this halt.
So as I was very aggressive with retraining, and after
(03:55):
about three years of being in the security police career field,
which you know, I don't the experience understand, it helped
me to grow and it helped me to evolve and
to build a certain level of discipline. Obviously, yes it did, Yes,
it did. So I remember that it just was not
the career plan for me, and I went into personnel
(04:18):
where I became what was it a three F three
FO and I started my career as a personnel specialist.
As I grew into that particular career field, I became
a senior and I commissioned officer. It just so happens
that after I think it was about maybe fifteen years,
I decided, you know, I see the changes that's happening
within a personnel community. I think my time here in
(04:42):
this particular sector is done. I think I want to
become a first sergeist. And so that journey began and
I was a first sergeant for four years and when
they took the diamond from me, I became a personal superintendent.
At this time I was seeing a massive sergeant that
I still had additional duties as a first sergeant. And
(05:03):
guess what, Amanda, I was able to retire with my diamet.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
That is a beautiful, wonderful thing. That's such a gill.
So for those of you listening that maybe don't know
when a first sergeant retires from the Air Force, because
I know they are first sergeant in the Armies and
their roles are a little bit different. But in the
Air Force, when a first sergeant retires, they do something
called a dime out there retirement, just where fellow diamond
wearing first sergeants do a formation shape dime and they
(05:28):
go through help me out hear Michi, they go through
like their creed. There's a chance they do. It's a
very impactful moving thing and it is a very big
deal to a first sergeant if at all possible that
they can retire with their diamond.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Yeah, yeah, you know. And at that time when I retired,
since I was almost ten years ago, I had to
request that there wants to be guaranteed that they would
allow me to do it, but they did. So, you know,
whenever I wear my uniform, if I go to an
Air Force hall, which I haven't been to in many years.
But the last time I went, I was tired and
I did wear my men's dress and it did have
(06:02):
a diamond insignia on it.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Nice. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Well, first of all, let me say thank you for
starting me being a little menial NCO and Army. I
respect the security ops as well because in the Army
we have the five functions of MPN and I think
that's a carry outs the Air Force for a month,
the different functions that we have. But aside from that,
I want to say thank you for your service and sacrifice,
(06:28):
especially how you kind of led the way for women
in the military. And that's one of the few one
of the functions of our shows to give kudos to
women in the military because we need to let other
current serving members that you guys exist, you carry rank,
and you have a voice as well and story to tell.
Say thank you very much for being on our show.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Well, I appreciate you very much and thank you, thanks
very much, thank you.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah. Absolutely. Michi was a very profound mentor at a
really kind of pivotal time in my career because I
met her when I was still ex urgent and so
I made mass Sergeant Evan while I was working at
airman and readiness. And that's where I really got to
know her because work closely with the first sergeant I'll
pay her and so it was kind of cool. I
(07:14):
used to job that I actually had the best job
in the Air Force as an airman and family readiness, incio,
because first sergeants were a close second, only because I
didn't have to deal with punishment they sometimes. But we
had a great relationship with the first sergeants and me.
She especially was wonderful because, as you know, as a
fellow woman serving in the military who had kind of
(07:36):
paved that way for me, it was always so refreshing
at her perspective, and you know, just every time we talked,
it was a meaning conversation, even if it was short,
whether the nor you know, the verbals, the non verb
like everything just kind of Michi always communicated deliberately, I'll
put it that way. So and it was just a
(07:57):
wonderful thing. And especially to be mentored in that way,
that was huge because it helped me be a better
mentor for othereopole seeing how Michi interact and how much
you know, care, inspect and you know, details, So that
helped me a lot. Whether you knew that or not.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Now, I did not know that a man that thanking
and you were talking what I don't. I don't think
that Maybe this communicated uh with first sergeants. But the
one thing that I will tell people is that I
love being a first sergeant because number one, it allowed
me to uh. It showed my strength, but it also
(08:36):
showed me where I was weak. And most importantly, I
allowed my hear me to teach me. I knew that.
You know, you don't just become a leader. Somebody's got
to teach you, and you have to be willing to
be a student. So even as a first sergeant, I
was willing to be a student and allow my people
to teach me how to lead, how to care, what
(08:59):
to say, what not to say. Maybe I don't say
anything at all, Maybe I just give them the shoulder
to cry on. So my people actually taught me how
to be a first sergeant.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Awesome are there? Do you have any like particular memories
stand out to you as like meer special from when
you were in the Air Force?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Oh my goodness, I have so many. Let's see fisically
talking about the first sergeant thing. Let let me let
me take me back on a memory that stands on
this one that's really coming to the focus right now.
There is a gentleman who was in the medical quadront
that Andrews joined Andrews. He was in the what is
(09:43):
the department, It's the occupational physical therapy department. And I
remember that. I remember when his son was first born,
so I got to think about babies, okay, just to
let you know, I'm especially when they sat into super
Oh yes, babies. There's nothing like like it. But I
remember this because I remember when his son was first born,
(10:06):
and of course I always reached out on behalf of
our commander. He congratulations, when you're a new bundle of joy.
How's the baby doing, how's mom? And they would invite me.
He invited me specifically to his home, and he even
took pictures of me holding his newborn son. And he
even has a letter. There was like a letter I
(10:26):
think I typed up and I figned it or the
commander signed it, and I would take it to home
and deliver it to the family. So one of the
things that memory right there triggers the very fact that
people allowed me into a very private face, allowed me
into their families. They allowed me to break bread and
to rejoice with them when a baby was born. So
(10:48):
that memory is what stands out me actually holding a
newborn child of one of my night heirmns.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
And it was all.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yes. Now, I will tell you something on the suda side,
like on the not so pretty side, a young lady
sadly she had a I noticed you're familiar with the
term golden flows. Yes, okay, she she popped dirty. Yeah,
all right. I believe they found traces of marijuana in
(11:19):
her system, and so obviously we had to go through
the procedures. They kicked her out. She had a demotion
and she got kicked out. So I remember this young lady.
She came to my office as she was going through
the our process and procedures, and she said, for a sergeant,
I just want to say thank you, thank you for
what said. Thank you so much for guiding me through
(11:41):
this process and being there and helping me along the way. Problem,
no problem. So you know with the first sergeant what
I again, my peatry. So one of the things that
I've learned is it doesn't matter what the person did.
And sometimes that was hard. Sometimes they so.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Wal so bad.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
It was my job still treat them like a human being, correct,
and it was my job He'll be straightforward with them.
But they knew that I was going to respect them,
and they knew that I was still going to take
care of them.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, that is definitely that's a hard zumple. But that
is one thing that like they always talked about with
first surgeon because I went to a few first Surgeent symposiums.
You know, the training to be you know, an undershirt
is what called it. But but yeah, that was a
big thing they always talked about. No, no matter what
situation is about, you have to kind of divorce yourself
(12:35):
from the details and remember that that person is still
a person. You have to you know, the dignity and
the respect is the biggest thing that you can offer
them as they go through whatever their process is going.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Be mean, she had a question for you, and it's
kind of for our listeners that we have here listen
for those who are currently serving in or in any
type of theater at the moment, and who are women
who are serving our country. What do you think are
some major points for you to convey to them and
light their careers and their aspirations in the military.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Oh my goodness. So great question, very deep question. And
as you were asking that question, it made me think
about my time in the war. I did her time
in Iraqi War in two thousands. I deployed New Year's Day,
can you believe it? Year's Day, two thousand and eight,
(13:30):
and I was there for four months. I was at
Ali Air Base, Ali Athline, that's in Kuwait. I was
an Ali Air base in Iraq. It was formerly known
as Salio and that base was actually a smaller entity
on a larger army installation called Cobb Adder ADDR. And
(13:51):
one of the things that I remember, and this is
what I will say, it's good and it is highly
recommended for women to find that wrong and of leadership
to link to number one and number two to find
a circle of positive women that are faith based. Those
(14:11):
two things were very critical to me, very critical to me.
And one of the ladies who was the first sergeant
of another she was the first sergeant of a civil
Engineer squadron while we were both in Iraq. And to
this day, Amanda, we are friends, we still communicate, we
keep in touch with each other. We're both since retired.
(14:32):
But I remember wherever you saw her, you saw me Yeah.
And we were always together. We fellowship together, you know,
our women's Bible study. We were always there together. So
why was that important to me?
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Brother?
Speaker 3 (14:48):
I'm going to tell you why, because not only was
I deployed, but mister Jefferies was also deployed. Mister Jefferies
deployed to Iraq November like two days before our fourteenth
wedding anniversary.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Yes, he deployed to Iraq November two thousand and seven.
And he was in more than Iraq. I was in
southern Iraq. And because of the virtue of his job,
my husband did OSI for his last ten years of
active duty. So if you know anything about OSI, you
know their job is not in the base, within the
base parameter. It's outside of the base perimeter.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
So for folks listening on OSI for US as an
Office of Special Investigation, which is kind of like the
FBI of the Air Force, if you will. So so, yeah,
and they do a lot of OTW or outside the
wire missions when they're doing Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
And there are many times that my husband would say,
you know, because we talked as much as we could,
and there were times that he would say to me,
I'm going to be gone for a little while. I'll
call you when I get back. Well, I don't exactly
know what that means right how many days it's going
to be. So it was very important for me that
once he gave me this particular message, I would go
(16:02):
back to my community, my faith based community, the women
in that community, even my chaplain who's very much a
part of my life to this day, and I would
pray and fast and they would pray with me. It's
very important for me to have that connection with those
women who are also mothers, who also wives. Maybe they
(16:24):
left their husbands behind and maybe some of them probably
had used as well. So hopefully I answered that question.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Oh completely, absolutely So, how did your military career then
kind of prepare you for your current role in what
you're doing today? And more importantly, what is the role
that you're fulfilling today?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Absolutely thanks for those questions. I will tell you that
the military. So you know, sometimes people say that they
missed the military. I don't what I am. I don't
think there's anything I miss about it. But what I
will say is there are so many things that gave
(17:07):
me that I refect and I'm glad for it, and
I am thankful for, of course number one of the discipline.
I am thankful for the camaraderie. I'm thankful for the
team work. I'm thankful for the integrity courage. I'm thankful
for the leadership and the training. I'm thankful for all
(17:27):
of these things because I still embody that deep inside
of me, and I do realize that now me on
this side of the Air Force, you know, this side
and lovely retirement, Bill, I am now a financial literacy
educator and a license financial services professional. Now, I would
tell you that I never saw this coming, Amanda. I
(17:48):
never saw myself doing anything actually priming. I told my husband,
I said, I'm never going back to work. I mean it,
I'm not did not.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Believe famous last words, right?
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Yeah? He did not see each for three years after
I officially retired. For three years I rested. And I
think that's something that a lot of military people need
to understand. When you retire, you have to rept you
have to rep unwined down, low party travel leep in
(18:20):
ty three that day.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
You know what I'm saying, Just sound trance, absolutely tell
somebody no. Yes. The no muscle is a wonderful thing.
I have really learned how to flex that a lot
more in the last four years.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Yeah. Yeah, and do something, do something different that you
never was able to do in the military. Do something
that maybe you've always wanted to do, and now you
have the time to do it. You have the time
in the space to do it. Or look at something
different and say, you know what, I think I want
to try that. What did I do, Amanda? I trained
(18:56):
for bodybuilding competition?
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Yes, you did what.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I brained for two body building competitions, natural, Okay, I
don't believe in putting any funny stuff in my body.
And then I did too passant competition.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
And after that I wrote a book about my journey
and why those things, oh Jay, other than why I
did those things, because what I didn't tell you is
that between January thirties, twenty fourteen and February ninth, twenty fifteen,
I battled breast cancer. I had surgeries after surgery after surgery.
(19:37):
I had had four surgeries in a fourteen month period,
and of course I had to recuperate and build up
my body strength, built up my upper body stremp. All
of these different things happened within that time frame. So
it was very important for me, brother Jay, to do
something to show people that cancer did not end my life.
It did not stop me from moving forward. That was
(19:59):
just that's the chapter. And now that that chapter is closed,
I'm able to do better and bigger things. But as
a result of that, I did do the body building competitions,
I did do the packing competitions, and I wrote a
book because I wanted to show people that, Hey, cancel
was just another challenge in the road of thing called light,
but it took me to a higher level. Oh yeah, yeah,
(20:22):
so the military career. Surely you know everything that I
learned along the way, you know, And I think what
really resonates with me is the leadership. And even Amanda
hit on it how I was able to have the communication,
deliberate communication with I still do that. I love having
conversation with people, and I love talking to people, being
honest with them about different things. So all of those
(20:43):
things have helped me to grow and to build and
to be able to educate other people who are looking
for exactly what.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
It is that I offer.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Wow, that's a definition of a mentor I've ever heard of.
Your journey has been nothing but spectacular, and again, thank
you for beating that nasty scene word answer, and I'm
I'm almost positive that your your roadmap to your life
is the inspiration of many who are listening to our
show right now. And I say again to thank you
(21:11):
on our show and sharing that with us.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Absolutely. Yeah, we went through like some of that, Like
I was able to talk to you in the beginning
of your cancer journey when you were if I'm not mistaken,
when you were kind of having surgery, and then you
began transitioning to retire because she had to come to
my office for FRANSI program, so we had many a
chat during break during one about that and then getting
(21:36):
to follow your journey with your competition or pageants via
social media because by that point I had already left.
My name was just It really was a beautiful, wonderfuing
and we are so thankful that you came on the
show today tell your story. Is there a way if
people are interested in following your journey that they can
do that. Is there a way that they can follow
(21:58):
you via social media or if they have questions for
you about financial literacy that they can reach out to you.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Absolutely so I'm one of those people. Of course, I'm
very up and open, and I don't mind people calling me.
I really really don't. So my number, which is part
of the best way to reach me is two for
zero to one zero four four eight nine. I can
also be reached to my Facebook handle meet g Jeffries,
(22:29):
m E E d h I E j E f
s N Frank FSN frank E r I f asn't
sand outstanding.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
And I had a question to ask you. Would you
be willing to do like a newsletter or insight for
our upcoming newsletters so that we could share some of
your euphorisms and your experiences with our general public and
offer you an opportunity to have you meet America and
America read you.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Oh yeah, that's thank you.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Oh, thank you very much. We'll make that happen down
the road.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Definitely, absolutely too easy. We already keep in touch, so
that's a piece one of the puzzle, all right, correct, Well,
thank you again for being on the show, me Chi's
We truly appreciate you. Ladies and gentlemen. We want to
thank Michi Jeffries for being on the show today and
sharing her story of her Air Force career, her triumph
(23:24):
over cancer, and her current role as a financial literacy expert.
Thanks again, Mi Chi.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
To you both.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Thank you, thank you, Michi yah bless you your family
and your future prospects of for this year like.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Why thank you, thank you Amanda.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
On our next segment we have with us today, Amanda
south Sado. She is founder of Woman Veteran Calendar. Thank
you for being on the show again, Amanda. We've had
you on before, but it's always a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Yay.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Hi absolutely so briefly again, tell us about your military service.
Obviously we've had you on the show board and shared
your military service with us, but for those listening who
maybe didn't catch that episode, give us a brief overview
of your military time.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Yes, ma'am, thank you. I was in the Air Force
for twenty years, so I bounced around a lot. I
had a lot of great assignments. I was overseas in
Germany and Korea, and I deployed twice to Camp Andy
and Iraq, and I worked mostly in medical, but I
stepped out of that a couple times for honor guard
(24:33):
and protocol. So I have a like they say on
the Liam Neeson movie, I have a unique set of skills.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Nice none of.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Them deadly, but absolutely, And so I kind of think
I have an idea too. But all our listeners about
how your experience in the military helped you do found
woman bettering.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
So it's interesting because when you're in the military, well
I can speak for myself. I guess when I was
in the military, I didn't really appreciate you know how
a lot of times when you're in they say this
is your family, and you're like, I don't like my
own family. I don't like these people. Forget that. But
it really is that's your community, like it or not.
(25:16):
Those people are going to support you. They're going to
be there for you, they're going to make sure you
don't fail. And you know, as enlisted person and as
a flight chief, I took pride in taking care of
my people. And of course, additionally, when you're in the military,
you're part of something bigger than yourself. So when I
got out of the military, when I retired, I had
(25:38):
no intention of still working in the medical field. I
knew I wanted to go back to school. But what
really surprised me is how difficult that transition was. And
I think that that is an often neglected subject that
we don't prepare our active duty and our military folks
for is once you separate, it's like this, it's like
(26:00):
this total cutoff from the military world and from the
way of life that you've known for so many years.
So I was looking for a community of women veterans
and I found them online. And online is nice, you know,
but it's also nice to get together with familiar faces
and people who've had shared life experiences and you know,
(26:23):
share war stories and bond and stuff. And a lot
of veterans have those opportunities with their local VFW and
American Legion and other great veteran organizations that are out there,
But for women veterans, it's a little more difficult for
us because we are such a small demographic in the
large number of veterans. So, like I said, I found
(26:46):
this community online and that was filling the hole for
me a little bit. And one girl one day said, gosh,
I really want to do a photo shoot. I wish
I could do it with my veterans sisters. And I said,
oh my god, gosh, what if we did a woman
veteran calendar? And it just kind of blew up from there,
and I created the group and the website and I
(27:08):
put all my own savings into, you know, building this
brand and getting all the trademark rights and the right
to use the word veteran. Like, there's a lot behind
the scenes, and I don't have a business degree, so
I'm learning.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
As all skill set pulled you through.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
I agree, I think that definitely helped, yes, but it
has grown into this purpose bigger than myself, and it's
so exciting for me to even just be a part
of it and just what we're doing for women veterans,
and you know, empowering women veterans by raising awareness and
(27:47):
increasing their visibility and like you said, sharing their stories
in our calendar. It's just it's so humbling for me
to be a part of that and to continue to
do it.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
I was going to say, I've remembered because I'm a
part of that same woman Veterans group online, and I
remember seeing your post not knowing who you were at all,
which is so interestingly beautiful about how that kind of worked.
But I remember seeing your posts proposing what if we
did a woman veteran calendar and just seeing the explosive
spons from that in the best possible way, a lot
(28:20):
of excitement, ideas and enthusiasm from these women veterans. It
was just such a cool thing to see that come together,
and I didn't really realize that that was the infancy
of like what we're talking about today. So it's kind
of a full circle kind of thing there as far
as that goes. And we're just we're so grateful to
(28:41):
have you on the show, to be able to give
visibility to your service and also to give visibility to
woman veteran calendar. A big part of our mission here
at the Rally Point Show is to place emphasis on
women veterans because, like you so eloquently said, you know,
we are such a small of the larger veteran demograph,
(29:02):
which we didn't really realize because I guess we kind
of just seem to in some cases, we kind of
find each other, We flock to each other, however you
want to say it. When we look around, we don't
immediately think, oh gosh, we're out numbered, like you know,
Rida one whatever. You know, we don't think about that
in the immediate but then when you step back and
you take a look at the bigger picture that that
(29:24):
kind of is what the statistic says. Though it's just
so neat that that all got started from that Woman
Veterans Forum online that we both belong to, and now
here we are on the radio talk.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Exactly, and not to overstate the importance of it. If
your demographic is a small percentage of the grander hole,
what you've done is makes it more important for it
to get out and for other veterans to acknowledge, and
for those who are still in service to become a
part of because when you depart from service, those connecttions
(30:00):
that you once had are as common or as available,
and if you were to provide the opportunity to have
those connections pre made before you leave, it makes that
transition a little bit more easier. What do you think
about that?
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yes, I agree with that, and I'm so glad you
mentioned it because we are trying to address that through
our mentorship program. So on our website we have a
page that says adopt a sister, and you can fill
out the form whether you want to be a mentor
or whether you're in the service and you're looking for
(30:35):
someone to mentor you. And the idea is you get
paired with a fellow woman veteran and in the service,
you know you're given mentors your leadership tells you like, oh,
you should find somebody with you know, a career you
can look up to and go to them for mentorship.
But you know, like it or not, that person is
(30:55):
going to give you the military advice. And sometimes they
can and even speak freely and candidly about what their
advice would be for you. But we don't. We don't
suffer from those same constraints as veterans. We speets back. Yes, yes,
(31:17):
so I as a mentor veteran, I'm going to tell you, you know,
candidly about my experience as it relates to yours, and
I'm going to give you unbiased, unfiltered advice based on
what you tell me your goals are. And then when
you're getting ready to separate, whether it's after one enlistment
(31:39):
or twenty years, I'm going to talk to you and
sit down with you and say, okay, no kidding, what's
your plan for when you get out? You know, do
you have a community that you can lean on? How
can I support you? Are you going to move after
you get out? You know, all these typical questions that
they ask you and tap, but they don't follow through.
(32:01):
Your woman veteran mentor is never going to drop the
ball and say Okay, our time is up. Like you
can have a mentor through our program for as long
as you want, and you can be a mentor for
as long as you want. And we're really excited about
that program because we're hoping to bridge that gap and
help people with that transition.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Well, man, I hope there's anything that we can do
here from the Valid Point network to help you grow
and to make those connections. Please feel free to use
us because that's why I'm thankful to have you back
on our show today, because I feel that other women
in vetters where a women need to hear you and
say that. Oh by the way, if you have any questions,
(32:40):
come find us and we can have a conversation about
it offline. Again, your work is invaluable.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
Thank you, absolutely, thank you, And like I said, we're
proud to do it. I'm so proud of our community.
We have about two four hundred ish women in our
group on Facebook, and I know not everybody's on Facebook,
so they can also just the email woman with an
a veteran calendar at Gmail to get involved and if
(33:06):
they're interested in being a modeler or getting involved in
any other way.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
Absolutely, I think the mentorship program that you talked about
is going to help give a lot of purpose to
those of US woman veterans that once we transition. I mean,
I think a lot of veterans would agree. In general,
you initially, especially if you're retired or just transitioned, in general,
you go going a million miles a minute down to
almost nothing compared to what the military had us going through,
(33:32):
and so that day in day out, that structure kind
of fades away, and then it it causes you to
kind of maybe be missing a purpose in a way
or feeling like don't have purpose that you had or
the uniform. And I think that your mentoring program is
going to be a wonderful way for women veterans to
continue to have a purpose and to continue making a
(33:52):
difference in the life of someone who is actly serving.
Though I'm actually I made a note to myself go
look at that for sure, because I I still in
touch with many people I mentor as well as people
who mentored me, and I know the value of that
being on both sides of that relationship. So absolutely, Now
back to the calendar. Tell us about the selection process
(34:14):
for who is featured in the woman betteran calendar, because
you did discuss like people sending you emails if they
want to featured, but what all does that entail?
Speaker 4 (34:23):
So the selection process is very, very open, and we
do our best to ensure that everyone who wants to
be in the calendar has an opportunity. We need to
make sure that we check a few boxes just to
protect ourselves from getting food. So the big thing is
(34:44):
we have a release form that we ask models to sign,
and that is just saying that the pictures you send
in and submit for the calendar were allowed. We are
allowed to print them and distribute them, and your photographer
or whoever you know, did those pictures, gave you the right,
So that's a big thing. Other than that, they just
(35:05):
have to be good print quality and we're happy to
share your story and feature you in the calendar. We
haven't run into an issue of having like hundreds of
submissions every year yet, so we'll worry about that when
it happens. Usually we get around twelve each year, and
if we have more, we just ask them, hey, can
(35:26):
we put you in for the next year. You get
your choice of the month and you'll be first in line.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
Awesome, and so how did the twenty twenty five calendar
sell go? Because I bought one. I just received it
in the mail last week. And it was funny because
one of the women that was featured in the calendar
was Nicole Jordan, who we just had on our show
talking about women veterans glamping. And so as far as
like how the calendar seal went, are there any calendars left?
(35:53):
If there still want to support and if there are
any calendars left, how can listeners.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Or are we yes? Thank you for asking that is,
you know, so short answer, yes, there are calendars still
available on our website. They are on clearance for fifteen
dollars each and they can just order them on the website.
And we're even throwing in free shipping because it's already
after the first of the year and we just want
(36:20):
to share these calendars and help get the word out,
you know, to the fullest event possible. So when you
go on our website, use code free ship for free
shipping and you'll get everything for just fifteen dollars.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Nice. And so, how did the overall sale go for
the twenty twenty five calendars? How many have you so far?
Speaker 4 (36:38):
So it was surprising to me We had a big
push with our inaugural calendar for twenty twenty four, and
for twenty twenty five it was a little less like
we struggled to meet our goal of still making a
two thousand dollars donation, and I think that that is
(36:58):
part of the growing props as a nonprofit organization, especially,
so we have some ideas for the twenty twenty sixth calendar.
For example, we're going to try to get more model involvement.
We're going to make it a little friendly competition where
the model that gets the most referral, so there will
(37:19):
be an option on our website to say, are you
buying the calendar for a particular model, and if so,
you know which.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
One got it?
Speaker 4 (37:26):
And the model who gets the most points that way
is going to win an Amazon gift card, probably one
hundred dollars gift card.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Very cool, I was going to say, or even just like,
I don't know if it's probably probably more laborious to
do it this way, but you giving each model a
code they can share with their friends and loved one
so that you can track it that way could potentially
be an idea too. But wow, cool. Well, I'm sorry
to hear that it was a little bit of a
struggle this year. I think there were possibly some external
(37:55):
factors that were beyond pe role, maybe two that might
have played a part in that possibly. I mean, it
seems like in some ways things are kind of financially
difficult for a lot of Poule right now for whatever reason.
Though hopefully things will improve in the twenty twenty six
calendar between all the efforts made to increase the publicity
and you know, getting the word out about it, that
(38:17):
will help make the twenty twenty six season even more successful.
But you were able to reach your goal, and that's
the important part the focus on, I think. And so
with meeting your goal, who are the groups that are
going to benefit from the sale of these calendars?
Speaker 4 (38:32):
So the group that we donate our proceeds to every
year are voted on by the Woman's Veteran Calendar community
on Facebook, the one with over two thousand women that's
in counting. And the reason that I want to highlight
that is because this whole project is for women veterans,
by women veterans. So we are not wanting to throw
(38:56):
our hard earned money and proceeds at an organization where
it's just going to be a drop in the bucket
for them. You know, some organizations do not need our
five hundred dollars or thousand dollars contribution. They're getting grants
for millions and millions, and we're happy for them, right
but we we want to make a difference for other
(39:19):
nonprofits that help women veterans in particular, because, as the
sergeant was saying, we're such a small demographic, we need
to raise awareness, you know. So we're trying to raise
awareness of these other nonprofit organizations throughout the country, and
we're also taking the suggestions from our woman veteran calendar
(39:41):
community to ask what is an organization that has you know, legit,
no kidding, helped you and your time of need. You know,
who would you go to bat for? Those are the
ones that we want to vote on and say this
is where I want our proceeds to go. So this
year we put it to a vote and by a landslide,
(40:02):
the two organizations that were chosen were Campshield here in
Texas and Women Veterans Lamping with Nicole Jordan.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Awesome, I have a question from my host, we should
be representing RPM in twenty twenty six in the calendar
as a senior Master Chief sergeant.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
That yes, I'm considering it, and I was gonna actually
kind of lends itself to you something you touched on
a little earlier, Amanda. What are the criteria that those
wishing to be featured as a model need to submit
for the calendar?
Speaker 4 (40:34):
Yeah, So anyone interested in being in the calendar again,
they can just reach out to that email address I
gave earlier, Woman Veteran Calendar at gmail dot com. And
what happens next is myself or one of our board members,
we will send you a list of the frequently asked
questions and that'll answer most of your questions about how
(40:56):
do I get in the calendar? What's the process. But basically,
to give you a brief over, we just need one
picture of you in uniform. Okay. We don't ask for
a DD two fourteen. We're not trying to do a
full background check on you. It's based on you know, integrity,
So just one picture of you that's going to print well.
And if you have grainy old pictures, there are there
(41:20):
are some companies, there's some app there's some you know,
I think even Office Depot can help you sharpen it
and clean it up. We just need a sharp images
in our print. That is the I want to highlight
that because that's the one issue that we've run into
the most often. Aside from that, we have a document
that we ask you to fill out for your bio,
(41:43):
which just includes your social media handles, your hometown because
we like to highlight that our models are from all
over the country. And then your bio of two hundred
and fifty words or less can be about anything you
want to talk about, and additionally, you can add any
other pictures that you want to add. The requirement is
(42:03):
just one in uniform, in any uniform. But you know
we've had as you as you know, Amanda, because you
have a calendar, We've got beauty pageant models. We've got
one woman that did a dedicated photo shoot just for
the calendar where she got wrapped up in a in
a photoshop flag. Okay it's not a real flag.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Yeah, I saw that. That was relaul. My favorite was
the mother daughter duo, Like, I think that's huge because
that is that's generational military service and I thought that
was so cool. So my sister I have three sisters,
but two of them were also in the Air Force,
and I have one of them that's coming see me soon.
(42:44):
And I've actually considered whether or not to try to
do a sister act submission, if you will, because we
were both Air Force. She did four years and got out.
I did twenty hours, tired, whatever. But I think that's
so important because, like you touched on earlier, you know,
the mill terry is a family, even if it's sometimes
a little dysfunctional or whatever. You know, you might kind
(43:05):
of be like, I don't like my own family, you know,
let alone some of these people. But there's a there's
a built in fraternity that comes with being a veteran.
We can kind of almost pick each other out in public,
kind of funny, and then we can, you know, we
start talking to each other and it kind of like
in a lot of ways typically things kind blow, you know,
and so that's that's kind of the beauty of the
(43:28):
fraternity of a veteran. That bond is air, that that
mutual understanding is there. So so I really thought the
Mother Daughter really cool. There's read for a Mother and
a Daughter in the calendar for twenty twenty five, and
they have a really cool story. So if listeners want
to know more, you got to buy a calendar to
find out more about it. But it was very well
(43:48):
put together. Every month was very interesting. I actually sat
on my couch reading every month of the calendar. I
was like, I can't wait to have to flip it
every month. So I read through each and everyone, and
so some ways I got to put a face to
a name because maybe you know, like Nicole Jordan is
a prime example, having her on the show or actually
getting her face you'd be like, oh, that's who that is,
(44:10):
or you know, seeing the faces of people who I
know I have spoken to on other women veteranborums, seeing
them featured calendar, it's it's very empowering. It's definitely an uplifting,
positive thing, which I think absolutely all can agree we
need in this world for sure. So yeah, so that
was that was probably one of my favorite parts of
(44:31):
the calendaresome.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
Well, thank you for that feedback. Yeah, we're happy to
do it. We've got in next year's calendar boiler alert.
We have a model with a service dog. So see
she works with service dogs and she's going to be
sharing her journey and you know that again we're sharing
(44:53):
information too, you know, something that some of our readers
might not have known about, and now they can get
involved and say, I didn't know you could adopt k nines,
you know, and foster them before they go through the
working Dog program, for example. And one thing we touched
on that I'd like to highlight, if it's okay, you
mentioned that that times are tough and sometimes, you know,
(45:18):
a calendar isn't in people's budget, especially when you're just
buying what you need, right, and a wall calendar or
even a planner, sometimes it's just like a frivilty, right,
And I agree. And the goal that I have for
the calendar and that I'm hoping we can't we get
more buy in from is small businesses and people who
(45:40):
aren't veterans. You know, for example, in Military City, USA, right,
the San Antonio brags that were Military City USA. So
I'm I'm sitting here and I'm like, okay, you support veterans,
buy a calendar and put it up in your business
and show your support for not only veterans but veterans.
(46:01):
So you know, our whole thing at the at the
Woman's Veteran Calendar community, we are not trying to take
from our sisters we're trying to empower and uplift our sisters,
and that's why we have the monthly Zoom classes, which
I'm sorry I didn't mention earlier, but we are starting
an education series and our Zoom classes are going to
(46:23):
talk about three benefits and resources that not all of
our sisters might have heard of. So the very first
one we're tackling is VA claims, because overhalf of women
veterans do not have a VA rating. And Jane Babcock
is going to be our guest speaker, and she has
experience not only as a VSO, but as someone who
(46:43):
went through the process and as an Army veteran, and
she this is her hobby is she likes to call
the VA on their blankety blank and or on the radio.
So I don't know from a lot of say yes,
their buffoonery, but she knows all the little tricks and
(47:03):
the little things that they'll do to kick your kick
your package down to the bottom of the pile and
leave it in you know, leave it in purgatory for
months and maybe even years. And she knows the tricks
that you, as a service member can say, okay, well
wait a minute, according to such and such, my file
(47:25):
should be here, and it needs to go here, and
this should be happening right now. So she's going to
help educate us on all those great little nuggets of
wisdom that we can take back and get our disability
ratings to where they need to be and even get
them finalized, you know, for those who have been too
afraid to pull the trigger and get it started, so
to speak.
Speaker 1 (47:44):
That's wonderful. I love that you offer, you know, in
person opportunities in the San Antonio area, but you also
offer a zoom opportunity for those of us who clearly
don't live in world over here in southwest Florida. We
were talking about that the other day. A man to
actually tagged on Facebook She's like, hey, are you anywhere
near Pensacola because she tagged girls. She's like, this girl's
(48:06):
moving out that way, and so i'd write her back, Yeah,
we're really eleven.
Speaker 4 (48:09):
To eight out the opposite.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Yeah, Florida geography took me a long time to get
and there are some days that I'm still kind of
learning it. Like I'm not even gonna lie. It took
me a little while to realize that Miami's actually kind
of like southeast of US, not necessarily like due south.
So yeah, and it's it's a huge state, so I
get it. But yeah, it's funny as far as how
that goes. But it's wonderful that technology can kind of
(48:35):
link us all across the miles. So I think it's
wonderful that you offer zoom classes. That was something I
wasn't fully aware of either, So I'm glad you're that
here for sure. Now, as far as any other support
that our listeners might want to offer for Woman Veteran Calendar,
they can do that by going to Woman Veteran Calendar
(48:55):
dot com Brack.
Speaker 4 (48:56):
Yes, ma'am, and on the tab that says contact. We
have links to all of our social media platform and
we would just love and appreciate it so much if
you and your listeners could just share those social media pages,
because in addition to just trying to get the word
out for women veterans, we're trying to reach as many
(49:18):
women veterans as possible and offer them these opportunities, like
you said, the zoom classes, or the opportunity to be
a model, or even to connect to other veterans, maybe
even in their regional area.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Absolutely, we have a group like that here in our
community of women veterans that try to get together every
now and then maybe have a meal socialized for sure,
because it is important. Like I said, you know, sign
and represent small portion of that larger number of veteranity,
it's even more important, especially to be there for one another,
you know, as women, we kind of have that unique aspect. Unfortunately,
(49:52):
if sometimes being overlooked for our service. Typically most folk
when they think of a veteran, they typically envision a mail.
So you know, putting some recognition emphasis on you know,
women veterans is just that much more important. Make sure
that you know we're giving credit all of the credit
where it's due across the board. And so for our listeners,
(50:13):
you know, if you love thanking veterans for our service,
if you're not, if you're not a veteran yourself, this
calendar is just it's a wonderful, inexpensive and if I'm
not mistaken, Amanda, tax deductible way to prove it is
that correct?
Speaker 4 (50:27):
That's correct.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
We are a nonprofit, fantastic So if you guys want
more information, you can go to women wo m a
n Veteran calendar dot com. You can order your calendar.
If you use the code free ship you will get
free shipping, clearance sale fifteen dollars. It's a great quality calendar.
I have one in my home. I think from you
(50:48):
know experience, I've touched it, I've seen it. It's a
wonderful product. And if you are a woman veteran listening,
please take the steps to inquire about being featured as
a model. And yes, I've already received my March she
orders from the Starge, So I too will be putting
my information out there for consideration for the twenty twenty
six or possibly future calendar, depending on the response and
(51:11):
the feedback. So the more people that put in, let's
get a lot of women veterans to throw in on this.
If you're listening and you know a woman veteran, tell
her about this initiative. Tell her about this organization and
do what you can to encourage participation with you know,
your family or friends. Absolutely, because this is a cause
(51:32):
worth helping. And that's our show for today. We want
to thank you for joining us on the Rally Point
show in the future. If you're at all interested in
being a guest, or if you have any questions about
the show or suggestions for segments you'd like to see.
You could shoot me an email. It's Macyato m A C.
C ai AEO at number one Rallypoint dot oorg. We
(51:55):
are happy take your suggestions as well as find new
guests on our show. Isn't that right?
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Starts that is correct? And if you know anyone who
want to be on the show, please let her know
and we'll get him on there as soon as possible.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
Absolutely, and with that we hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for joining us on the rally Point Show. Rally
Pointers fall Out dismissed
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com